ACROSS THE KOCKV MOUNTAINS, ETC. 17 



nothing that he could say would discourage us, — that we went to 

 that house in order to seek repose, and it was unfair to intrude 

 conversation upon us unasked. The ruffian made some grum- 

 bling reply, and left us in quiet and undisturbed possession of our 

 bench. We had a miserable time that night. The only spare 

 bed in the house was so intolerably filthy that we dared not 

 undress, and we had hardly closed our eyes before we were 

 assailed by swarms of a vile insect, (the very name of which is 

 offensive,) whose effluvia we had plainly perceived immediately 

 as we entered the room. It is almost needless to say, that very 

 early on the following morning, after paying our reckoning, and 

 refusing the landlord's polite invitation to " liquorize,^^ we 

 marched from the house, shook the dust from our feet, and went 

 elsewhere to seek a breakfast. 



Soon after leaving, we came to a deep and wide creek, and 

 strained our lungs for half an hour in vain endeavors to waken 

 a negro boy who lived in a hut on the opposite bank, and who, 

 we were told, would ferry us over. He came out of his den at 

 last, half naked and rubbing his eyes to see who had disturbed 

 his slumbers so early in the marning. We told him to hurry 

 over, or we'd endeavor to assist him, and he came at last, with 

 a miserable leaky little skiff that wet our feet completely. We 

 gave him a pickayune for his trouble, and went on. We 

 soon came to a neat little secluded cottage in the very heart 

 of a thick forest, where we found a fine looking young man, 

 with an interesting wife, and a very pretty child about six 

 months old. Upon being told that we wanted some breakfast, 

 the woman tucked up her sleeves, gave the child to her hus- 

 band, and went to work in good earnest. In a very short time 

 a capital meal was smoking on the board, and while we were 

 partaking of the good cheer, we found our vexation rapidly 

 evaporating. We complimented the handsome young hostess, 



